It's Never Saturday
by madelinesticks
Summary: Steam Powered Giraffe fic. This is an AU based off of this prompt, "David built the Spine so he could have threesomes without being jealous of the other guy. The Spine is programmed to always assume she'd prefer a real man over him. I call this one, "It's Never Saturday."" It contains sex, graphically written I'm afraid, and it is now complete.


David sat back and watched for a little while, grinning in satisfaction. The Spine's hands moved over her skin with dexterous movements, fingers grazing over her nipples in a graceful fashion - and graceful they would be, as David had had him do this a hundred times, and yet every single woman was as good as the last.  
The Spine's skin shone a little in the slightly dim light of the lamp to the side of the room, and the reflection of it changed as the automaton leaned to nip and kiss at the skin of the woman's neck. As he began to bite down a little harder, leaving red marks, he trailed his hands lower, stroking over her skin.  
She whimpered, pressing back against The Spine's chest, eager and wanting. David could see the glisten between her spread legs as the 'bot stroked over her clit with a slender, metallic finger. She mewled, hips bucking up in an uncontrolled action.  
Unwilling to hold back for much longer, though the show was certainly entertaining, David surged forward, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. As The Spine thumbed over her nipple and drew clever little circles over her clit, David's hand moved lower between her legs to press in.  
She gave the neediest of little whines, indecisive as she tried to press in David's touch and then The Spine's. She obviously couldn't choose which she wanted more.  
The robot started to nip again and suckle at the skin of her neck, making her give more low sounds of pleasure. David grinned against her lips and momentarily drew back, quickly pulling a condom. Then he lifted her by the hips, spreading his own legs slightly to lower her down onto his cock.  
The sounds she made were gratifying to say the least, her arms moving to tighten around David's neck. She tried to press down at her own pace, far faster than the patient gait David chose to move at, but the man just laughed and kept his grip tight on her hips, bringing her down torturously slow.  
The Spine began to rub gentle circles at the base of her back as David lowered her further, and eventually she stopped struggling for more and let David set the pace. He thrust into her slowly, relishing the breathy little moans his actions produced.  
"Kiss him." David murmured slowly. "Go on." She leaned back, kissing The Spine. The automaton's mouth muffled the little sounds she made, but it was worth it to see her greedily nip at The Spine's black lips, see her deepen the kiss as much as the robot would allow her.  
The Spine chuckled into her mouth, the sound dark and low and rumbling, and David could feel her clench tightly around him in response to the sound. They always loved the sound of The Spine's voice, and it never failed to have some of them coming at his dirty talk.  
The Spine tangled a hand in her hair to kiss her deeply again, hand trailing to start stimulating her clit in concentrated, well-practised twists and shifts of his fingers, then stroking over her labia, stretched so brilliantly where David entered her.  
She whined breathily once again, and the sound repeated louder as David sped his thrusts, fucking into her harder, deeper. She jerked abruptly, giving a high keen, and David felt her inner walls automatically contract as she came. David just laughed, fucking into her and now chasing his own orgasm.  
When he came, he remained still for a few long, blissful moments, enjoying the feel of her still wet and tight and hot around his spent cock.  
The Spine grasped her hips and carefully raised him off of David, pulling her into his lap. The robot was still fully clothed, and David could see the way she stroked over the silk of his waistcoat without even thinking about it, just feeling the sleek fabric under her fingertips.  
She gave the sweetest of little yawns, blinking slowly and sleepily. The Spine ran a more gentle hand through her hair, almost petting it.  
The Spine shifted back to lean against the headboard, allowing her to snuggle closer against his chest and rest her head on the automaton's shoulder. Drowsy and tired-out (David was perhaps feeling more accomplished than was really appropriate for that), she drifted off.  
David nodded as The Spine pulled up the sheets on David's bed, wrapping them around her still naked form. He tied and threw the condom into the waste-basket to the side of the room, moving to pull on a shirt and pants.  
"Keep her comfortable." He ordered, not yet tired himself. The Spine inclined his head in a clear affirmation that he understood, still stroking through her hair even as she slept.  
David smiled, pleased, and left the room.

She woke with a soft little sound, swaying into the gentle fingers combing through her hair. "The Spine?" She asked softly, blinking up at the automaton still holding her close.  
"Good morning, Miss Brianna." The robot greeted warmly, cheerfully, his photoreceptors dimmed slightly for need of time to power down. He hadn't for a time, and felt his reserves running a tad low.  
"I will alert Mister Bennett to your awakening." He purred in a pleasant, teasing tone. "Feel like breakfast?"  
"Uh." She gazed up at him, seeming to be a little spell-bound. "Um. Yeah. Breakfast- breakfast sounds good."  
He nodded. "Perhaps clothes?" He suggested. "The kitchen tends toward chilliness in the mornings, below the optimum temperature of comfort for humans."  
She gave a little chuckle, crawling (if a little reluctantly) out of his lap to pull on her dress from last night, not bothering with the underwear that was (presumably) still where ever David had thrown it while undressing her last night.  
She padded down the stairs, The Spine following close behind in his easy, but still just-visibly-robotic stride. David was on his laptop in the kitchen, scrolling through that day's headlines and nursing a steaming cup of coffee.  
He looked up and offered her a bright grin, one which she returned, but not with as much enthusiasm.  
"Good morning, uh-" David stumbled before The Spine mouthed the name at him. "Brianna. Hungry?"  
She nodded, moving to seat herself next to David and lean in slightly to glance at that day's headlines herself. David poured her a cup of coffee, passing her sugar and milk.  
The Spine slid past, moving into the kitchen to begin warming oil in a frying pan. He removed bacon and eggs from the fridge, throwing some bread into the toaster (which, inexplicably, had "JENNY" scrawled across it in new red letters. He would need to clean that off later. The stains looked like lipstick. Sometimes The Spine wanted to do a good old fashioned fist-shake at David's confusing sibling and her actions. At least Paige had nicer handwriting, lipstick or not.)  
The Spine had made them plates of well-done bacon and eggs, handing over the toast before moving to produce marmalade, honey and butter from the cupboard.  
He set each of the plates in front of them, and David grinned at the robot, while she uttered a quiet word of thanks.  
The Spine nodded before moving to leave the room.  
"Wait! Whe-Where are you going?" She asked, looking unhappy to see The Spine go. It wasn't a situation the automaton was really familiar with, and he froze momentarily.  
"I need to go and power-down, Miss. My reserves are running low." She blinked, expression a little blank. He supplied a little more clarification. "Rest. I was awake holding you last night, and I need to, ah, sleep." The word was slightly foreign in The Spine's mouth, as he hadn't used it in strictly the correct way. But she seemed to understand well enough.  
"Oh, I'm- I'm sorry I kept you. From recharging, I mean." She said earnestly, looking apologetic.  
"There is no need to apologize, I assure you." The Spine said in reply, offering what he hoped was a comforting smile (he still had to practice human expression in the mirror everyday to pass as somewhat more than robotic). He was somewhat perplexed by how much she worried.  
"He was just doing as he was programmed." David said lightly, touching her back in a gesture The Spine recognized as appropriate for comfort. "It's okay."  
"Ev-even still." She shrugged a little, seeming almost embarrassed at her own concern. "Uh, sleep well, Spine."  
"Have a good day." The Spine returned, smiling once more before he left for his own room to recharge.  
Humans got more baffling every day.

When The Spine exited the room of wires and cogs, primarily spare parts or pieces for repair - David was a fairly successful engineer - and moved downstairs. Frowning at the lipstick still stained on the toaster, he picked up a dishcloth and began cleaning it off.  
David was not present in the house, and The Spine was alone.  
He didn't mind.  
He was not programmed to feel lonely.

The next morning, David had a conference. In Milwaukee, The Spine believed, something to do with the engineering David had been working on most recently. David left The Spine at home, letting him take care of the house.  
Bunny and Paige could drop in, but most likely wouldn't. Why would they come to see The Spine?  
The automaton dusted around the house, taking advantage of the lack of humans to clean up where he couldn't normally reach.  
In the early afternoon, the door bell rang, and The Spine frowned. David's sibling had elected to come in after all?  
He went to the door, and blinked in surprise at the familiar woman from the other night.  
"Ah, hello." He greeted. "I'm sorry, Mister Bennett is at an engineering conference in Milwaukee. He won't be back for a few days."  
"I know. He- He told me that." Brianna said, swallowing in apparent nervousness. "I didn't come to see him. I came to see you."  
The Spine tilted his head, the movement causing a clearly audible click of metallic components. "Me?" He repeated, perplexed.  
"I- I really liked seeing you the other night. You- You were just really nice in the bar when David was picking me up and comforting and a good conversationalist - I- I don't know what I expected from a robot - but I liked you." She blurted out. "I told David I wasn't really interested in a repeat performance with him. But- but you, I- I'd like to meet up with you again."  
The Spine frowned. "Why? I am only an automaton. I cannot please in the same manner, I am-" He tilted his head, searching his databases for the correct word. "Insufficient."  
"No!" She protested. "No, no, you're not. Not for me, anyway. Please, Spine, just- just come out for me for a bit? To the park maybe? Please?"  
The Spine, of course, was programmed to please, as long as he didn't conflict with David's orders. And David never ordered him not to go out with a girl himself, did he?  
He nodded slowly, reaching behind him to grasp at the house key.  
He exited with her, locking the door. Ever the gentleman, he took her arm and shortened his stride for her sake as they moved toward the park, still trying to register and catalogue the recent events.  
She seemed a little shell-shocked herself, keeping a hold of his arm, so he kept quiet. He didn't want to upset her.  
After the twenty minute walk to the park, she seemed to have relaxed, and he placed his hand gently on her back. She moved toward the ice cream stand, then stopped and looked at The Spine cautiously.  
After a moment's pause, he murmured, "I like chocolate mint." assuming that she was wondering whether he could eat the ice cream or not. And he could. He could "digest" liquid foods easily enough, and his receptors could certainly gauge taste, though perhaps not in the same way a human could.  
That seemed to have been the right action, because Brianna laughed and nodded. "Good. Good."  
She ordered a strawberry cone, and The Spine registered that in his databases, keeping hold of the information.  
She turned and beamed up at him as she handed him a small, card tub of the mint chocolate ice cream, and he smiled.  
"Thank you." He said lightly, warmly. She led him over to a bench and they both sat. The Spine ate his ice cream carefully, not spilling the smallest drip of it onto his clothes. She gave a little giggle when she noticed his fastidious manner, and he just smiled back, teasingly pointing out the strawberry that she'd dripped onto her neck.  
He reached out to run his finger over the drop, then sucked it off his finger in a purposeful movement that made her breath hitch in her throat.  
Had he been human, The Spine would likely have been unable to suppress a satisfied grin. As it stood, he just raised his eyebrows a little.  
She giggled once more.  
Brianna was quite beautiful when she laughed.  
The thought came without warning, unwarranted. Beautiful. The Spine could see that she was, and yet, he'd never thought of anything as beautiful before.  
He felt a sort of satisfaction in being next to her, one that was dissimilar to versions of the emotion - was it truly an emotion? - that he'd felt before.  
He tilted his head at her as he thought. She blinked, curious. "What is it?"  
"You're very pretty." The Spine said, tone serious.  
"Oh." She gave a sweet little smile, cheeks becoming tinged with red. "Thank you." She murmured, looking down.  
He caught her chin and lifted it slightly, offering a small smile of his own before leaning in to kiss her. It was slow and sweet - none of the harsh biting from the bed - and Brianna looked somewhat dazed as he drew away. He found some enjoyment in that expression, and made a note to try and draw it from her once again if he had the opportunity.  
"Come." He said, standing and offering his arm to her. She took it gracefully, allowing the automaton to lead her through the park.  
They just did that, for a fair while. Watching squirrels dash up and down trees, watching someone's easily startled dog run across the park whenever one of the squirrels came within six metres… The day was warm and pleasant.  
"The Spine!" He looked from her to the two women in front of them on the path. Bunny grinned, looking ecstatic, while Paige just offered a small smile of greeting.  
"You're out on a date!" Bunny proclaimed gleefully, expression something slightly manic that The Spine had learned was ominous at best.  
"You wrote on the toaster." The Spine returned, tone distinctly less excited.  
"You're in love!"  
"In lipstick." They continued in that fashion until Paige just put a hand over Bunny's mouth and forced her quiet.  
"Hello." She murmured, offering the new woman a hand to shake. "My name's Paige."  
"Bunny." The word was muffled by the Paige's flesh, but all the same, she offered a hand too.  
"I'm Brianna." She murmured, taking their hands happily enough. "You two are together?"  
"Two long, painful years now." Bunny nodded, faking a mournful expression. Paige laughed and playfully hit her upside the head.  
"See what I mean by painful?" Bunny poked Paige in the side, and then began attempting to tickle her in earnest. Brianna chuckled as The Spine just raised an eyebrow.  
"Perhaps we should get going." The Spine said quietly.  
Brianna nodded slowly, taking The Spine's hand once again and letting him lead her to the park exit, both of them waving to Bunny and Paige as they went.  
They spoke quietly as they walked together, of how nice the day'd been. "I really enjoyed being with you." Brianna said softly.  
"Could we do this again?" The question was levelled at the automaton tentatively. The Spine grinned.  
"I would- I would like that." He said, voice warm and contented. She beamed.  
"How about tomorrow? We can go to the arcade!"  
He smiled a little, and then nodded. "Of course. I warn you - I haven't been in such a place before."  
She grinned once again, and it was like a small piece of his Blue Matter core brightened momentarily, filling him with warmth.  
The Spine pressed a kiss to her mouth, smiling at her.  
"I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded happily. He moved back into the house, feeling an odd urge to twirl in the kitchen and sing as loud as his bellows would allow.  
He didn't, of course. He read the news - David liked him informed for conversation and quick reference - and then tidied around the house.  
He powered down around eight o'clock, relishing the time he had to rest.  
In the morning, he checked the news again, and then went quickly to the shop, ensuring the fridge was stocked with milk, eggs, and such, so that when David returned tomorrow he'd have them ready.  
Brianna knocked at around three o'clock, and The Spine walked contentedly with her after locking the door behind him.  
The arcade was a half hour walk or so, but The Spine enjoyed it well enough, ecstatic to walk with Brianna.  
Brianna tugged him over to some classic games first - one of them was a two-player version of Pac Man. She threw in a coin and indicated for him to take the other joystick.  
After some trial and error, The Spine improved rapidly, and had Brianna making frustrated sounds through laughter.  
"How are you so good!?"  
"I'm programmed to learn." The Spine said, bemused at her indignation.  
"Not at all fair."  
"Oh no?" The Spine chuckled.  
"Let's try one of the racing games."  
They were roughly even in skill on both the car and motorcycle machines - they played through multiple terrains and such that made it impossible for the automaton to just figure it out.  
After, she noticed the larger machine in the centre of the room, dragging The Spine over. "Oh no." He said, shaking his head.  
"Oh yes." She insisted, stepping onto the right hand platform. The machine, colourfully decorated with the moniker "Dance Battler!", was well used.  
"Miss Brianna, I really don't thin-" Brianna grabbed his shoulder and pulled him bodily onto the platform. He let her pull her – if he truly had wanted to she would have been unable to.  
She pushed in coins quickly, selecting a fast paced song. Initially, The Spine played reluctantly, generally preferring to keep hold of his dignity in public.  
This raised heckles and teasing jibes from her, of course, until he played to the best of his ability, doing quick steps and turns on the brightly-lit arrows. At the end of a fifth song, she just fell forward.  
He caught her in alarm, but she just shot him a wild grin. "Tired, are we?"  
"Maybe a little." She admitted, taking three steps forward to nuzzle against his chest.  
He laughed, the sound rumbling. She gave a soft sound, hugging him tighter.  
"How- how would you like to come out? Go dancing?"  
The Spine tilted his head slightly, offering a small smirk. "I would love to."  
It was half-six, at that point. "I'm not sure I'm dressed right though." Brianna murmured. She wore boots, leggings, a brown skirt and a blouse under a cardigan.  
"Doesn't matter." The Spine insisted. "You can dance just fine like that."  
They just went to a quieter, pleasant enough bar rather than a busy club. They had a small band playing love medleys and older tunes.  
Initially, the dances were 50s pieces, active and full of twirls, dips and twists. Over time, the music slowed to waltzes and then to slow-dancing pieces. The Spine held Brianna tenderly, keeping her close. When they finished their last dance, he pressed a kiss to the side of her hand where it rested on her shoulder.  
She beamed at him. They sat down for drinks - not their first break in the evening, but certainly their last.  
Brianna kept close to him as he walked her home. She wordlessly kept hold of his hand when they reached her apartment door, glancing up to meet his eyes.  
He understood the signal, and gave a slow, simple incline of his head. His Blue Matter core did the same strange thing from earlier, made him feel warm.  
Brianna allowed him into the apartment. It was cosy and neatly decorated, but The Spine had no time to really look around before she took him to her bedroom. She pulled off her boots, looking up at him.  
"Keep stripping." The Spine murmured, crossing his arms over his chest and watching her. She took in a small breath, but then obeyed, removing her clothes and setting them aside in a neat, folded pile.  
The Spine looked over her skin with undisguised interest, smiling slightly. He then moved forward, steps slow, deliberate.  
He sat next to her, pressing his lips to hers in a slow kiss.  
"Tell me what you want." He murmured against her lips.  
"Want you to fuck me." She returned quietly, curling closer to him. "C-could- maybe- I mean- could you make me come more than once?"  
"No." The Spine said firmly, seeming a little amused. "Judging by our previous night together, you are prone very much to going to sleep immediately after sex."  
She flushed red, and gave a small giggle. "Right."  
"Fucking you though, that I can do." He grinned, dangerous, showing teeth. Her breathing quickened slightly, and he knew that'd been the right thing to say.  
He removed his gloves, setting them aside, and then started on his shirt. His chest was well put together but clearly metallic.  
She stood and reached out, stroking over his chest. "It's cold some places, warm in others." She whispered, intrigued.  
"My boiler is here." He guided her hand. "Main circulation pipes go along here and here." She laughed a little as he showed her where he was warm.  
"That's awesome." She grinned. He kissed her knuckles. He dropped her hand, then, leaning to remove his shoes and pull off his trousers. He wore no underwear.  
She stared at his naked form, breath hitching in her throat. He knew that he was modelled after humanity, but even still he was much different. He was insufficient.  
"Want you." She whispered, the sound needy. He stared momentarily, surprised, but moved forward, pressing her down onto the bed. He had her mewling in minutes, shivering beneath him and arching into every stroke of her skin, every bite. Every clever grind of the automaton's hips.  
She reached out tentatively, stroking over the cock David had fitted him with, a curious expression on her face. It wasn't all that dissimilar to popular sex toys, and was made to stimulate the G-spot.  
The Spine chuckled a little. She produced a bottle of lube and handed it to him. He tackled her, beginning to tickle her. She struggled, laughing under The Spine.  
Later, she yawned quietly, wrapping her limbs around the automaton. "I told you so." He teased gently.  
She giggled against his neck. "Shut up." She drifted off comfortably settled against him. He held her through the night, unwilling to power down and have her alarmed by his sleep mode in the night.  
In the morning, she woke with slow blinks and a little smile.  
"Hello." She grinned at him.  
"G'morning." And for a time, they just sat there, grinning at each other. "I could get used to this." She murmured.  
"Oh, yes?" The Spine tilted his head, moving to stroke over her thumb with his cheek. "Are you sure?" His tone was a little solemn.  
"What do you mean?" She asked, seeming concerned.  
"I am only an automaton. I am not as worthwhile as another human companion, I-"  
"Don't say that." She interrupted him. "You are worthwhile. You're amazing."  
The Spine examined her face. "You really like me that much?"  
"Yes." She confirmed, shifting to kiss his jaw. "Yes, I do."  
The Spine made her breakfast. This, of course, delighted her. She laughed as he handed over the plate and settled to sit with her as she ate.  
"Good?" He asked. She nodded happily enough, smiling widely. "Good."  
He pressed a kiss to her cheek before he left, his smile not as unnatural as it usually felt. Again, the warm burst from the core in his chest.  
He kissed the back of her hand, too, making her giggle and flush. "I shall see you later, Miss Brianna." He purred. He waved as he left, tipping his hat as she closed her door.  
He walked home with a spring in his step, feeling happy and content - more than that, even. His circuits pulsed, and he felt almost euphoric, gleeful.  
He continued to smile all the way home.  
When he entered the house, David was seated at the kitchen table, a piece of toast half-eaten in his hand.  
"Hey!" He greeted the automaton, cheerful. "Where've you been? Came home to an empty house."  
"I had an encounter." The Spine said, still smiling as he moved to brew more coffee to refill the nearly empty cup that sat before his creator.  
"A what?" David repeated, looking heavily amused.  
"I went out yesterday. Dancing. And then, ahem, more." David started laughing.  
"What, I'm not here so you go out womanizing on your own?"  
"Womanizing implies a string of different women." The Spine corrected, leaning against the counter to beam brightly at the engineer. "This is one woman. One wonderful, beautiful woman."  
David stared at the automaton a moment, smile faltering.  
"You're dating?" He asked, looking uncomfortable.  
"I suppose." The Spine agreed with the slightest of shrugs.  
"Spine, you- you're an automaton, you can't-" David scowled deeply as he tried to summarize his thoughts. "You shouldn't really feel emotion like that."  
"You've never objected to my feeling emotion in the past." The Spine said softly, biting his lip in a nervous, human expression that had taken hours of practice in the mirror.  
"You can't love." David said, frown still firmly in place.  
"Miss Brianna is-"  
"Wait, wait, wait." The engineer interrupted, holding up a hand as he interrupted. "The girl from last week?"  
The Spine gave a curt nod, moving forwards to pour David new coffee. At another time he might have been impressed with his creator remembering one of their names.  
"She wants you?"  
The Spine tilted his head, perplexed at David's tone.  
"She asked me to accompany her to the park. And then to the arcade, and dancing - she is the instigator, yes." The Spine confirmed.  
David gave a nasty little laugh. "Man, she was a bigger freak than I thought."  
The Spine tightened his grip on the coffee pot, the sound of breaking plastic in the air. He put it down immediately, realising his slip.  
"Spine, you are not a human." David said firmly. "I made you for fucking, not- not for romance. Let alone dating a random woman."  
The Spine looked at David, and then nodded slowly. "I understand." He said in a clipped tone. "If you will excuse me, I need to power down for a time."  
He left the room, the spring dropped from his step and his smile forgotten.  
He powered down alone, for a fair time.  
When he "woke", David was in the workshop, tinkering with something new. He'd apparently made himself an omelette, judging by the new lack of eggs and the pieces of bacon and pepper littered on the chopping board.  
The Spine cleaned it up and washed the dishes, setting them aside.  
He left the house for the store, intent on buying new eggs. He picked up a carton as well as a magazine before heading over to the till.  
"The Spine!" Brianna's voice was cheerful. And why shouldn't it be?  
"Brianna." The Spine greeted warmly, showing a smile instead of any sort of sadness. David- David had never, after all, expressly said that he could not see Brianna, nor that he could no longer go out with her, even.  
"How about Saturday night?" She grinned widely, a punnet of strawberries and another of grapes in her arms.  
"Oh? What about it?" The Spine asked, tone slightly teasing.  
"We'll go out dancing." She said, smiling widely.  
"Ah, sounds exciting. And then?" Her smile quirked into something that was more of a smirk.  
"Y'know, if I have to tell ya…"  
He laughed. "Sounds wonderful. How about-" His programming was screaming at him not to go against his orders, to do what David had said. He crushed the urges. "I come meet you around seven? Outside the arcade?"  
She nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Yeah, sounds good." She said, beaming.  
She paid for her fruit and left, waving cheerily to the automaton as she went. The Spine paid for his eggs, thinking rapidly.  
"Hey!" David greeted The Spine as he came in. "Didn't realise you were up."  
"I bought eggs." The Spine said, moving to put them in the fridge, dropping the magazine in front of the engineer as he did.  
"Spine, I'm sorry about earlier. You're awesome, and I know you feel stuff. But y'know, you are a robot."  
The Spine nodded, though his shoulders were stiff. "C'mon, Spine. Bunny wants us to come over and play Monopoly."  
"Monopoly?" The Spine repeated, lip curling a little. That game tended to end in increasingly violent words between the twins. "Are you sure?"  
David laughed at The Spine's expression. "It'll be fine."  
"If you say so." The Spine said. He just wouldn't tell his creator about Saturday. Later- well. He'd deal with that when he came to it.  
The next few days passed normally enough. At around six-thirty on the Saturday, The Spine was dressed and ready to go. David blinked at him as he came down the stairs. "Hey. We aren't going out tonight." He said lightly, raising his eyebrows in some bemusement at The Spine's best vest. "I have work to do."  
The Spine inclined his head slightly. "Yes. But I am going out." David blinked at his creation, opening his mouth and looking momentarily thoughtful before speaking.  
"Where?"  
"Just out." The Spine said vaguely, pouring himself a glass of water. David stared at him, looking bemused.  
"Where?" He repeated.  
"Out dancing." The Spine said, managing to keep a light tone. "I enjoy it." David laughed a little and shrugged to himself.  
"If you say so."  
The Spine felt something like relief pulsing through his circuitry as he quickly moved towards the arcade.  
She looked wonderful. Her dress was green with thick straps clinging to her shoulders, and The Spine felt his mouth drop open. Brianna laughed a little, cheeks blushing as she gave a partly bashful smile. "Good?" She asked.  
"Startlingly so." The Spine murmured, taking his step forward and offering his arm. "Shall we?"  
"Yeah. Let's."  
They danced until well into the early hours of the morning, laughing. The Spine kissed her in the street, and then they danced part the way up the road towards the house. It was around three o'clock when they finally made their way to The Spine's home, and he happily kissed Brianna on the doorstep with his fingers tangled in her hair.  
She walked home giving him waves, and he grinned to himself as he quietly opened the door and went inside.  
"Hey! Have fun?" David asked, a little dark around his eyes as The Spine passed by the living room. His creator was curled in the armchair in the living room, watching TV with half-shut eyelids.  
"Yeah." The Spine nodded happily, heading upstairs to shut down for the night. He continued to go out with Brianna. They went out three or four nights a week, with The Spine staying at Brianna's once or twice. Saturdays became nights out with Brianna. Every Saturday, without fail. Saturday nights with her were better than anything – on Saturday nights he often stayed at hers.  
The Spine enjoyed sex with Brianna. He really, truly enjoyed any little whimper or sound he could draw out of her, but even more he enjoyed the time after.  
She clung to him when she slept. Apparently she possessed some instinct to hold whatever was closest tight to her chest as she slept, and now that thing had become The Spine. Brianna was a comforting weight in his lap, and he loved his time with her.  
He adored her, all in all.  
He met her in the library on one Wednesday afternoon, and the two of them settled together in the corner of the room with him quietly reading to her – from a Lovecraft compendium, no less – as he stroked through her hair. After a few weeks of this, the librarians became quite accustomed to their visiting, and The Spine would repeat their whispered words of how sweet they were in Brianna's ear for the sake of hearing her giggle.  
Nothing set The Spine's circuitry alight like time with Brianna did. She was… Well. She was perfect, in his eyes.  
"Hey, The Spine! We're going out tonight." There was no question to the words when David said them. It was a statement, clear, just to let The Spine know. Tonight was Saturday. He went out with Brianna on Saturdays.  
"I- can't." The Spine said, the sentence a little stunted. David looked up from his coffee, raising his eyebrows.  
"What?"  
"I can't. I'm- I'm already going out. Tonight."  
"Dancing?"  
"Yes."  
"You can dance tonight." The Spine shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.  
"Yes, but I- I wanted to dance with a particular, ah, woman." David frowned, looking up from his coffee.  
"Have you been going out with the same woman all this time?" David's tone had gone very serious and quiet, and The Spine gave a small puff of nervous steam as he noted the slightly shorter man's intense look.  
"Yes." The Spine said softly, not quite able to bring up a louder tone.  
"Who?"  
"Brianna." David's expression suddenly went a little dangerous.  
"Yes." The Spine said, his own face solemn.  
"I told you to stop seeing her."  
"Not specifically." The Spine pointed out in a quiet voice.  
"Do you want to keep on seeing her?"  
"More than anything." The Spine said in a soft, tender voice, giving a slow, cautious nod. "I love her very much."  
David sighed. "Fine. Fine. Go to the living room. I'll talk to you in a sec." The Spine breathed a slow sigh of relief, steam escaping into the air. He moved past his creator, sitting straight-backed in the living room chair. He waited for David to come back, straightening when he heard his creator entering the room.  
He knew nothing more as David flipped the emergency switch at the top of his spine, swiftly turning the safety catch with a screwdriver and shutting The Spine down for the time being.  
The Spine was quite enjoying himself that night. He laughed with a multitude of women, complimenting any joke David made and making them seem the perfect pair.  
"Hey, The Spine! Where were you?" The automaton turned, offering a small smile to the woman before him. She was fairly pretty, though perhaps less David's type...  
"Er, hello, Miss. Can I help you?" The woman looked concerned, confused. David turned in his seat, offering her a nasty smirk The Spine couldn't see.  
"The- The Spine? It's me, Brianna." The Spine blinked his shutters.  
"Uh, sorry, Ma'am, I don't think we've met."  
"Sorry!" David repeated after The Spine, a sense of amusement and a near-childish victory in his voice. Brianna's mouth dropped open, and she bit her lip hard.  
"You don't remember me?" She asked, a tremor to her voice. He frowned, concerned.  
"No, I'm afraid not."  
"I think you're probably looking at the wrong robot, lady."  
"David, I-"  
"Leave us be, will you? We're kinda having a nice time here." Brianna seemed to have tears in her eyes, which was perplexing to say the least. She ran from the bar, and The Spine turned to David.  
"An old flame?" He asked, confused to say the least. This had happened before, with women in bars recognising him.  
"Something like that." David said with a little chuckle. "How about that girl there?" The Spine looked in the direction he pointed, ready to assist.


End file.
